Ariana Afghan Airlines
Afghanistan · ARIANA · Active
Airline Identity
History
Ariana Afghan Airlines was founded on 27 January 1955 as a joint venture between the Afghan government and Indamer Co., with Pan American World Airways later acquiring a minority stake, and it grew into Afghanistan's international flag carrier flying to the Middle East, South Asia and Europe. Decades of war disrupted the airline repeatedly: during the Soviet-Afghan War it lost aircraft to seizure, and under the first Taliban government (1996-2001) it was placed under international sanctions and accused of being used to ferry militants and weapons. It continued operating in the post-2001 republic era, and after the Taliban's return to power in August 2021 it kept flying under the new administration, first resuming domestic service and gradually restoring select international routes.
Current Operations
Ariana Afghan Airlines remains Afghanistan's state-owned flag carrier, operating from its Kabul hub with a mixed fleet of Airbus A300s, Boeing 737s and turboprops. It serves a limited domestic network alongside international routes that have gradually resumed to destinations including Turkey, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, India, Russia and China, though its operations remain constrained by sanctions, an aging fleet, and the isolation of the Taliban-run civil aviation sector from most Western markets.
Last verified 2026-09-02· Source: airline public disclosures, company press releases & aviation-industry reporting.